Posterizing: Dogs, Bats and Things

There have been some big movie poster releases over the past week, including one huge poster that took the internet by storm. Check them out after the jump.

‘The Thing’

There’s a new version of ‘The Thing’ coming out in October, and we’ve finally got a look at one of its posters. It doesn’t reveal all that much about the movie, but I like its classic look. I could do without the silly tagline at the bottom, though.

‘Straw Dogs’

I’m a big fan of this next poster because of its retro look. It kind of reminds me of the old ‘Dog Day Afternoon’ or ‘Raging Bull‘ posters. However, it still retains a newer look to it given the more detailed picture. I have no idea what ‘Straw Dogs’ is about, other than that it’s a remake and what the brief synopsis on IMDb says about it, but judging by this poster, I’m intrigued.

‘Bellflower’

I didn’t get to see ‘Bellflower’ when it premiered at Sundance earlier this year. I’m actually pretty sad about that. This small indie film has garnered a lot of good press over the past couple of months, and its poster just makes me want to see it more. However, I really wish that poster designers – and video cover art designers too, for that matter – wouldn’t clutter up a perfectly good image with a giant block quote from a random review. Imagine that poster without that big quote at the top. Now we’re talking.

‘Tucker and Dale vs. Evil’

Now this Sundance movie I was able to see. I’ve been lamenting the fact that it hasn’t gotten a wide release. Finally, it seems that in September of this year we’ll be seeing ‘Tucker and Dale vs. Evil’ get the release it deserves. Now, to promote its impending release, we get this fantastic poster. It has that grungy cheap-o horror vibe. Its greatness comes from its portrayal of Tucker and Dale. They’re actually the nicest guys you’ll ever meet, but the teenagers in the movie picture them as inbred, bloodthirsty hicks. Keep a look out for this one. You’re going to love it.

‘The Dark Knight Rises’

Finally, the poster we’re all excited for. The first thing I thought about when I saw this poster was ‘Inception‘. The crumbling buildings give it that kind of vibe. Then upon a little closer inspection, the Batman symbol comes into view. This is a poster that I would consider framing and hanging on the wall. It isn’t cluttered with quotes or even the movie’s title. Yet you know exactly what it’s advertising, and it succeeds in getting you excited for the latest installment in Christopher Nolan’s ‘Batman’ franchise.

About Aaron Peck

Aaron Peck is a seasoned film critic. He's spent his days reviewing Blu-rays for High-Def Digest, and writing film reviews and feature articles for Film.com. He's also a member of the Utah Film Critics Association.

20 comments

Dvid

Looking at the Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil, I can’t help but get an Evil Dead feel from it. It looks like it was cobbled from two of the evil dead posters and a few scenes from the first two movies. Is it just me?

Jared Chamberlain

Luke Hickman

The original ‘Straw Dogs,’ starring Dustin Hoffman, was banned in several countries for a long time. It was required viewing for a History of Cinema class I took. While it totally relies on it’s ending, it’s still a pretty fascinating picture about breaking points. Personally, I think this remake looks absolutely brilliant. I love Marsden and am excited to see him reunite with ‘Superman Returns’ co-star Kate Bosworth.

And I totally agree with you – it’s about freaking time that ‘Tucker and Dale’ get a proper U.S. release. It’s a piece of comedic genius!

Jared Chamberlain

paramedic0112

Exactly! There are plenty of movies that could be good remakes. I heard that Westworld was going to be remade. Now that’s a great idea. That movie could be really cool. I still like the original but it’s very dated.

EM

Do you think the Thing tagline might have been improved simply by placing the “Yet” on a separate line, with at least a couple of lines’ worth of space in between? In any case, I do like the overall look of the poster. I’m interested in this movie, but I question the artistic justification. As both a prequel and a remake, it doesn’t just run the risk of being gratuitous—it runs the risk of being gratuitously gratuitous. The 1982 version was a remake too, but it brought a very different sensibility, and I very much like both it and its 1951 precursor. Yes, I’m interested in this new version, but I’ll need to learn more before deciding to part with my hard-earned money to see it.

The poster for Tucker and Dale looks fun. Maybe the movie will be, too. I’ll keep an eye out for this one.

I kind-of like the art design for the Dark Knight Rises poster, but the perspective doesn’t quite work for me. We’re apparently looking up; but at first glance, it looks to me like we’re looking down (at a bat-shaped mist, I guess). I think it’s the buildings “above” the bat that give me that notion—the angle is really strange. But then, knowing Nolan, maybe the image is supposed to be somewhat Escheresque.

Zaserov

I like the Dark Knight Rises poster. In addition to being “Escheresque” (nice word, EM), there’s the question of whether Bats is the blue sky at the end of a crumbling city, or if he’s breaking the city to fit his shape.

paramedic0112

The straw dogs poster looks like a copy of the original dustin hoffman poster. I didn’t look it up, but the idea seems the same. I agree with what a couple of others have said. Remaking this movie is idiotic. How can you top the great Sam Peckinpah? What for? Shameless cash grab.

Same goes for the thing. What is the point of a remake for that movie? All of this points to one conclusion- that hollywood is creatively bankrupt. There are a few exceptions and those are the filmakers i pay attention to. When I look at a movie poster these days, the first spot I look at is who the director is.

Jared Chamberlain

paramedic0112

I hope I wasn’t being too cynical with that last post. I just get a little worked up at these two remakes in particular because I love Carpenter’s The Thing and Hoffman/Peckinpah’s work. I guess I was pretty skeptical about the Coens remaking True Grit, but that turned out to be fantastic, so I guess we’ll just have to see.

Toe2toe

Jared Chamberlain

I think the purpose is to make it look like a vintage release, theatrical film posters primarily came folded through the late 80s and some through the mid 90s. Posters like Super, and Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil, are probably meant to look that way as a nod to titles like Evil Dead and Toxic Avenger.

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